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A Twitter-style look at upcoming special events

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UPDATED 3/29/13 to correct the date for the Park Avenue Summer Arts Festiva.

No matter if it's spring, summer, fall, or winter, there are so many events going on in Rochester on any given week that it's almost impossible to keep track of them all. It's a little bit like a constantly updating Twitter feed. So we took that social-media inspiration for this year's Annual Manual special events/festival guide. Below, you'll find a host of upcoming Rochester-area events described in 140 characters or less, along with actual Tweets by people who have enjoyed previous editions of those festivals.

Did we miss an exciting upcoming event? Leave it in the comments section of this article, below.

High Falls Film Festival April 18-21 • Little Theatre, Dryden Theatre, Cinema Theater • The film festival is back with its original name and a renewed focus on women in front of and behind the camera. • highfallsfilmfestival.com, @HighFallsFF

Sheep Shearing Festival April 20 • Springdale Farm, 700 Colby St., Spencerport • Still trying to figure out the best way to clean your wool? Learn all sheering with demos at this festival, which also has live music. • heritagechristianservices.org/springdale

Color Vibe 5K Race April 20 • Monroe Community College, 1000 E. Henrietta Road • This is one race that everyone will finish with flying colors. Get blasted at the color stations that are sprinkled all throughout this 5K. • thecolorvibe.com, @colorvibe

Rochester International Film Festival April 25-27 • Dryden Theatre, George Eastman House, 900 East Ave. • The world's oldest continuously run short film festival returns to the renovated Dryden Theatre for its 55th year. • rochesterfilmfest.org, @DrydenTheatre

Flower City Challenge April 27-28 • Genesee Waterways Center; War Memorial • United Health System presents a dualthon, triathlon, half-marathon, and 5K, all in one of Rochester's most exhausting weekends. • flowercitychallenge.com

MAY

City Newspaper Best Busker Competition May 2 • East Avenue, between Chestnut and Alexander • Local musicians play on the sidewalks on the East End for votes from passersby and the chance to win gift certificate prizes. • rochestercitynewspaper.com, @roccitynews

Roc City Tattoo Expo May 3-5 • Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside, 120 E. Main St. • More than 100 tattoo artists, coming from across the US, Canada, Japan and Europe, will be tattooing on site at the fifth annual expo. • roccitytattooexpo.com

Lilac Festival May 10-19 • Highland Park • One of Rochester's oldest and most beloved festivals heralds in another beautiful summer with 500+ lilac varieties and many other events. • lilacfestival.com, @ROCLilacFest

Zoobrew May 24, June 21, July 19, August 9, September 6 • Seneca Park Zoo, 2222 St. Paul St. • Unleash your true animal at these Friday happy hours, with food and live music. Only open to people 21 and up. • senecaparkzoo.org/zoobrew, @SenecaParkZoo

Memorial Day Parade May 27 • Starts at East and Alexander, then west onto Main to Plymouth • Come out to commemorate the veterans of our armed forces, and those who gave their lives so that we could keep on celebrating. • cityofrochester.gov, @CityRochesterNY

Festival on the Green June 14-16 • Fireman's Field and Harry Allen Park, Honeoye Falls • Get plenty of fresh air with three days of family events and live music around the Village of Honeoye Falls. • festivalonthegreen.us

ROC Transit Day June 20 • Public bus stops throughout Rochester • Leave your cars behind for a day celebrating public transportation. Free bus rides through the city with events, prizes, and stops for beer. • roctransitday.com, @ROCTransitDay

Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival June 21-29 • Many venues throughout downtown Rochester • Willie Nelson, Pink Martini, and David Byrne & St. Vincent headline a festival with almost 300 other local, national, and international acts. • rochesterjazz.com, @XRIJF

JULY

July 4 RPO Celebration and Fireworks July 4 • Main Street Bridge, Downtown • Add some fanciness to your fireworks with the RPO's annual Independence Day concert. More live music and events through the night. • rpo.org, @superRPO

Big Rib BBQ and Blues Fest July 11-14 • Highland Park Festival Site, Highland and South Ave • Listen to the blues with your bibs on at this barbecue festival with more than 20 live blues artists and ribs from vendors across the US. • rochesterevents.com, @RocEvents

Stuart Horse Trials July 11-14 • Townline Road and Murray Road, Victor • Giddy up for a four-day triathlon of equestrian sports, with more than 300 competing riders from across the United States and the world. • stuarthorsetrials.org, @StuartHorseTrls

Hill Cumorah Pageant July 12-13, 16-20 • Hill Cumorah, near Palmyra • Dramatic depictions of passages from the Bible and the Book of Mormon. An outdoor theater event of Biblical proportions. • hillcumorah.org/pageant, 315-597-5851

Corn Hill Arts Festival July 13-14 • Corn Hill neighborhood • Check out works from hundreds of artists and crafters, with live music and other activities through the weekend. • cornhillartsfestival.com, @cornhillartfest

Canandaigua Arts and Music Festival July 13-14 • Commons Park, Canandaigua • This year's festival is just a small part of Canandaigua's 100 Days of Entertainment, with free events every day from May to Memorial Day. • canandaiguaartfestival.com, 394-0787

Macedonian Ethnic Festival July 19-21 • St. Dimitria Macedonian Orthodox Church, Telephone Road, Henrietta • One of the oldest cultural heritages in the world comes to life through food, dances, games, and exhibits of Macedonian artifacts. • macedonianfest.com

Rochester Pride 2013 July 20-21 • Various locations around Rochester • Rochester's biggest celebration of the LGBT community with a parade, festival, picnic, and more. • gayalliance.org, 244-8640, @GAGVinfo

Team OUTlandish won the Rainbow Award for Best For Profit Business Float for today's Rochester PRIDE Parade!... fb.me/1dXeRySR1

Civil War Re-enactment July 20-21 • Genesee County Village and Museum, 1410 Flint Hill Road, Mumford • Whether you're with the Union or still rooting for the Confederates, revisit the battles at one of the Northeast's largest reenactments. • gvc.org, @GCVandM

Rochester Jewish Film Festival July 21-29 • Little Theatre, Dryden Theatre, Jewish Community Center • A cinematic mazel tov to Jewish filmmakers and films of Jewish interest, with more than 20 films from across the world. • rjff.org, 461-2000 x237

10 Ugly Men Festival July 27 • Genesee Valley Park • This year's sports and music charity party features the Meat Grinder, a new three-mile obstacle course race with mud pits and tire traps. • tenuglymen.com

Spencerport Canal Days July 27-28 • Along the Erie Canal, Spencerport • Time for Spencerport folks to get their own canal celebration with arts and crafts, entertainment, food, and canoe races. • spencerportcanaldays.com

Love celebrating Canal Days in Spencerport, NY. Haven't been in years. Small town fun, then back to NYC with the wifey.

Rochester Teen Film Festival August 7 • The Little Theatre, 240 East Ave. • The kids are all right — they've been busy making their own movies. See the works of local high school filmmakers in this juried festival. • thelittle.org, @TheLittleRoch

Pageant of Steam August 7-10 • New York Steam Association, Gehan Road, Canandaigua • Travel back in time — albeit not very quickly — with these demonstrations and exhibits of steam-powered machines and vehicles. • pageantofsteam.org

2013 PGA Championship August 8-11 • Oak Hill Country Club, 346 Kilbourn Road • One of the biggest golf championships in the world, and the last of the golf season, comes to Rochester. • pga.com, @PGAChampionship

Thank you to the PGA for allowing Rochester, NY to host the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill CC. This is our Super Bowl!#PGAChampionship

Palmyra Pirate Weekend August 9-10 • Village of Palmyra • Anchors away, mateys! Step onto the poop deck for a weekend with live music, a 5K race, pirate tales, and a free screening of "The Goonies." • eriecanalpirates.com

National Silver Ball Tournament August 9-11 • Genesee Country Village and Museum, Mumford • No gloves, no protective equipment, but plenty of vintage uniforms in this three-day baseball tournament played with 1865 game rules. • gcv.org, @GVCandM

Carifest August 10 • Riverside Festival Site, between Court Street and Exchange Street • Spend your Rochester summer in the Caribbean, if only for a day. Caribbean heritage is honored with food, music, a parade, and other events. • rwifo.com

Avon Rotary Corn Festival August 10 • Genesee Street, Village of Avon • Corn has been a staple of WNY agriculture for centuries. Keep the tradition alive at this festival with locally grown corn and other activities. • avonrotary.org

Arts at the Gardens August 17-18 • Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion, Canandaigua • A sale and juried fine arts and craft show with paintings, photos, jewelry, sculptures, and other works from more than 100 artists. • artsatthegardens.org, @SonnenbergGnM

Fairport Music and Food Festival August 24 • Liftbridge Lane, Village of Fairport • Several stages of live music and food from Brockport-area restaurants, with proceeds benefiting Golisano Children's Hospital. • fairportmusicfestival.com

New York State Festival of Balloons August 30-September 3 • Dansville Municipal Airport (Maple Street entrance), Dansville • It will be hard to not to get carried away at this Labor Day weekend festival of hot air balloon rides. • nysfob.com

Mendon Station Festival September 7-8 • Mendon Station Park, 1371 Pittsford Mendon Road, Mendon • The Mendon railroad station might be long gone, but passengers of all ages can still board this weekend adventure of arts, food, and races. • mendonfoundation.com

Rochester Pagan Pride Day Festival September 14 • Ellison Park • After being canceled last year due to a severe storm warning, the Pagan Pride festival survived the overdose of irony and returns this year. • rochesterpaganpride.org

Palmyra Canaltown Days September 14-15 • Village of Palmyra • Boat tours, live music, arts shows, a parade, and other events make for a pumping weekend in Palmyra. • palmyracanaltowndays.org

Festival of Food September 16 • Public Market, 280 N. Union St. • One ticket grants you access to samples from more than 100 local eateries at this gut-busting festival, formerly known as Savor Rochester. • foodlinkny.org, @foodlinkny

Rochester Sci-Fi, Comic Book, and Anime Con September 20-22 • Main Street Armory, 900 E. Main St. • Whether you're a gamer, a comic collector, an adamant anime viewer, a sci-fi lover, or all of the above, you can get your geek on here. • rochesterscifianimecon.com

Rochester Sci-Fi and Anime Con or Roc-Con, my first ever Convention. Will be going with my younger Brother. is.gd/igI4Jg#GetGlue

Rochester Marathon September 22 • Downtown Rochester • This is what you've been training for all year: a 26.2-mile marathon and relay and a 13.1-mile half-marathon through the city. • rochestermarathon.com, @ROCMarathon

Naples Grape Festival September 28-29 • Naples Village, State Route 21, Naples • If you're not into smashing grapes, you can admire them more delicately at this festival with a pie contest, entertainment, and live music. • naplesgrapefest.org

AppleUmpkin Festival September 28-29 • Gaslight Village, Wyoming • Ca''t decide if you prefer apples or pumpkins? You won't have to choose between the fall favorites at this arts and craft festival. • appleumpkin.com

OCTOBER

Neighborhood of the Arts Fest October 4-5 • Neighborhood of the Arts • Stroll through the best that the neighborhood has to offer in a weekend of arts, dance, and music. • notaba.org

Rochester River Romance Weekend October 4-6 • Genesee River corridor • Fall in love with the Genesee River all over again with cruises, walks, bike rides, and nature hikes celebrating the river. • cityofrochester.gov/riverromance, @CityRochesterNY

Autumn Festival of Ales October 5 • Honeoye Falls Fireman's Field • Toast to the autumn harvest by sampling more than 30 craft and custom beers from Custom Brewcrafters and other Western New York vendors. • cbsbrewing.com, @CBBrewery

Cohoctan Fall Foliage Festival October 5-6 • Town of Cohoctan • There will be a lot of excitement in the small town of Cohoctan during this weekend: Fireworks, football game, art shows, parade, and more. • fallfoliagefestival.com

Fall Festival feat. Agricultural Society Fair October 5-6 • Genesee Country Village and Museum, Mumford • This harvest fest has competitions in everything from pies to crafts to the biggest pumpkin, as well as vintage farm exhibits. • gcv.org, @GVCandM

Hilton Apple Fest October 5-6 • Hilton • Forget about the pumpkins here — this festival is all about the apples, not to mention arts and crafts, a pie contest, and a car show. • hiltonapplefest.org

University of Rochester Meliora Weekend October 10-13 • University of Rochester River Campus • The University of Rochester's alumni weekend has guest lectures, performances, seminars, and more. • rochester.edu/melioraweekend, @UofR

In This Guide...

For this year's Annual Manual, we took inspiration from popular social networks and techy applications — Pinterest, Instagram, Spotify — and used them as a way to frame the various aspects of Rochester.

Monroe County is about as diverse a community as you can find: a mid-size city, rural areas with orchards and farm markets, suburbs with 20th-century tract houses and shopping malls, and quaint, Victorian villages. The Genesee River and the Erie Canal bisect the county, more or less vertically and diagonally, so geology and history are a constant presence, shaping everything from traffic patterns to architecture and public festivals.

Rochester is probably no more pet-conscious than any other city, but we definitely have plenty of resources for any kind of furry friend you may have, or want to have. Once you've welcomed him or her to your home, Fido or Puff can live the life of Riley in the Flower City: healthy, well-fed, spiffed-up, socially connected, and beautifully behaved.

Given the image-saturated nature of Pinterest in our image-literate culture, there's great potential for artists and art dealers to benefit from the use of this emerging social media platform. The site boasts roughly 25 million unique monthly visitors, many of whom help link-bearing images go viral by re-pinning them.